A Hero's Tale
by Chance Brown
Summary: Beast Boy feels like the weakest link in Titans Tower, but when a Sinister Group threatens to destroy the world, a strange man comes looking for a Hero to compete in the Hero Trials. Can he save the day, beat the odds and get the girl? BBRae.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note- My first full Teen Titans fic. I absolutely love Raven/BB and this is going to be somewhat angst. I have been trying to think of a plot to write, and this one stuck with me, so B fans rejoice, and hopefully when it comes to TT fan fiction, I'll be one of the top authors people talk about!

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.

* * *

Chapter 1- If I could Be Like That 

Jump City was quiet. It was a lot more quiet than it should've been on a Monday afternoon at least. The city's citizens were indoors, traffic was at a minimum. The air was fresh and clean; hardly any pollution, and the noise was near silence. Yes, Jump City was a beautiful town, fresh air, crisp water, two cinemas and a few nice restaurants. A bank, and an all night pizza place graced the downtown areas along with several nice grocery stores, and thanks to the resident heroes; hardly any crime. There was one problem though, and this was the reason no one was outside on a crisp cool autumn day in Jump City.

There was a huge meteor looming over the city.

Looking directly up into the sky, there was a rock juxtaposed next to the sun ready to pounce on the city like a cat on it's prey. The rock was meteor that had appeared a few days before, one that nobody could figure the origins of, and nobody could find a way to destroy. One that a hero and only a hero could stop; and would have to before it destroyed the planet. Thankfully, Jump City had a hero, and he was currently in a tower, shaped like a 'T'.

Beast Boy entered the common room of Titans Tower, stretching out his arms after his mid-afternoon nap. The room was eerily silent for it to be fully occupied; all the titans were there. He scanned the room, glancing at each of his friends sitting on the couch.

There was Cyborg, the half machine half man powerhouse of the team. His intelligence and technological savvy saved the group numerous times. There was Starfire, the alien princess who was the heart of the group known as the Teen Titans. Her upbeat persona and sweet naivety demonstrated the good in the world that they fought for. There was Robin, the leader of the group. His straightforward and no nonsense manner kept the group fighting smoothly and made them a fierce force to be reckoned with when it came to criminals, and lastly there was Raven.

Beast Boy paused at her; the mysterious beauty. Raven was the mind and reason of the group. Her calm exterior kept them grounded, and her whimsical powers kept them faithful. Not to mention her beauty kept Beast Boy's mind occupied and her voice was like music to his ears. He could practically hear her calling his name as he stared at her. It was chanting, 'Beast Boy, Beast Boy, Beast Boy-'

"BEAST BOY!" Raven's voice snapped the green changeling from his reverie. He shook his head clear and his vision fell once again on the mysterious gothic beauty.

"Uh, huh?" He muttered quickly,

"I asked why you were staring at me." She said plainly, her voice monotone and straightforward as always. Beast Boy panicked, he didn't know what to say, but her eyes were glaring at him, he had to think up something.

"I um . . . What's that?" he pointed at the television screen the four had been watching before his entrance to the room. Raven turned around and glanced at the screen, muttering out a response without turning back to him.

"News. They still haven't found out anything about meteor." She said. Beast Boy shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know what to make of the situation. A few days ago a giant rock appeared in the sky and everyone freaked out. Now, not even the smartest scientists in the world knew how it got there, or why it hadn't fallen to Earth yet, however they all agreed that if it did; it would destroy the planet.

"That's not very good now is it." Beast Boy said, trying to continue in his conversation with Raven. To his dismay, she wasn't the one who answered,

"Naw man, Raven says that she can try to track down its source using some of her magic, but the origin of this thing ain't natural!" Cyborg said, turning back to Beast Boy. Starfire nodded in agreement,

"Yes friend Beast Boy, friend Raven has deduced that it is indeed a plot by those who practice the Arts of Darkness."

"She means Dark Arts." Raven corrected in a monotone voice, still not turning toward Beast Boy. Robin and Raven studied the television while Cyborg and Starfire waited for a response.

"So someone used some magic mumbo jumbo to threaten the city by summoning a meteor; did anyone leave any demands or anything. Large sums of money, free someone from prison; a warehouse full of Tofu?"

"Beast Boy, if someone had the power to summon a meteor, why would they go through the trouble?" Robin asked.

"Besides, nobody likes tofu." Raven added in. Cyborg and Starfire chuckled.

"Hey," Beast Boy puffed out his chest proudly, "I like tofu!"

"Exactly my point, nobody." She chimed in. Beast Boy's shoulders drooped. It was always like this, he was nobody. He wasn't important, he wasn't special, he was just Beast Boy. Suddenly, without warning the sirens around Titans tower began to sound. Everyone's talisman that signaled that there was trouble started to glow, and the television screen instantly turned to navigational mode.

"Titans, trouble. Dr. Light is in the downtown area." Robin said, looking at the group. Beast Boy threw his head up and mentally prepared himself for battle. He was already at the door when Robin called out his battle cry.

* * *

Beast Boy flew down toward Dr. Light as a Falcon, swiping past the villain and knocking him backward. A moment later Starfire and Cyborg landed in front of Dr. Light while Robin and Raven landed behind him. 

"Ah, the Teen Titans. My arch nemesis! You've defeated me before, however, this time with my LIGHT CANNON XS you'll be no match!" Dr. Light pulled out a huge bazooka like weapon and fired directly at Cyborg.

Cyborg leapt out of the way and watched as three cars were destroyed in the blasts wake. "Aw man, this one is doing some definite damage!" Cyborg moaned. Starfire launched forward at Dr. Light who put his hand up to create a dome around himself. Starfire hit it and flew backward as the evil Doctor turned his attention onto the two birds.

His light whips came from both of his extended arms and struck forward at Robin and Raven. Either teen jumped out of the way, and continued moving backward as Dr. Light's attacks pursued them. Cyborg ran after, shooting his Sonic Cannon at Dr. Light's back, "Light sees everything!" the villain announced as he flipped backwards over Cyborg's cannon and the beam shot directed at Raven. The Gothic Witch held up a black shield to protect her from the blow, but this was just as Light shot his LIGHT CANNON XS.

The blast beam straight at Raven, who had no time to deflect it; she paused, watching as the beam got closer and closer. What was she going to do? Out of nowhere however, a blur of green entered her path, knocking her out of the way, and Raven watched as green Cheetah took the brute of a light energy beam, launching back into a building.

"Beast Boy!" Starfire's voice called out after watching Raven's rescue. This gave Dr. Light the chance to attack both awe-shocked girls. His light whips knocked them both together and a well placed disc froze the two girl's inside an energy force field.

Beast Boy transformed back into his normal self, shaking his head and holding onto his ribcage. He was sure he'd broken at least two ribs this time, but it didn't matter, he could fix them in a matter of minutes. Looking up through the hole that he had recently made in the building he saw Raven and Starfire trapped inside one of Light's energy fields.

Beast Boy jumped out of the building and ran toward Light, speeding as fast as he could; he was going to finish this right now. Ashe closed the range between himself and the villain he pondered what shape to take, anything would only hurt him right now with his broken ribs, but it didn't matter as long as the team was safe right?

He got close to Light and dived forward, taking no other forms, he was going to take down Light as Beast Boy! Unfortunately he didn't hear the voices of Cyborg and Robin as the phrase "Sonic Boom" echoed through the streets, and he didn't see the other two Titans running at Light full speed. He did however see a large blue beam of energy nearly hit Light as it strayed off course, crashing into a nearby building.

Beast Boy hit Light in the stomach, tackling him to the ground and rolling as Light kicked him up into the air. He blasted Beast Boy further up with his right arm and rolled away. Beast Boy went flying through the air, unable to control his ascent. He closed his eyes as he painfully hit the roof of a nearby building, breaking the parapets and rolling onto the flat top.

"Oh, that's gonna sting in the morning." He muttered, trying to sit up but unable to move. He had broken more apparently. Beast Boy needed to get to his friends though, he needed to help. He wasn't the weakest link of the team, he was more, he was the primal one, he was the clutch, he had proven that against the brotherhood of evil already hadn't he?

He needed to help them, he needed to get down to them, so he got up; slowly. Beast Boy clutched the cement roof, tearing his nails apart as they dug into concrete. He knelt on the ground and crawled to the edge of the roof, looking over the side to see Raven and Starfire being let out of their ball by Cyborg. Knowing it was only going to hurt him, Beast Boy transformed into a falcon, shooting down to the rest of the team as fast as he could. He transformed back into himself ten feet from the ground, taking the rest of the fall on his human body. He immediately knelt, letting the pain wave over him, looking around for Dr. Light's incapacitated body.

"Friend Beast Boy, are you okay?" Starfire asked, walking over to him. Cyborg got there first though,

"Oh no he's not! Something's wrong in his head grass stain! You let Light get away!"

"Yeah Beast Boy, what were you playing at?" Robin interjected, Beast Boy was confused, "Me and Cyborg had to divert our Sonic Boom so you wouldn't get hit. Now Dr. Light escaped."

"I didn't know guys, sorry," Beast Boy said, realizing now that the blue beam of energy had been their attack.

"You sure are, but it doesn't change the fact that you're useless." Raven added, her voice monotone and flat. Beast Boy glared up at her, anger in his eyes. She was the one who had to be saved in the first place. It wasn't his fault Cyborg and Robin couldn't get their attack off fast enough.

Everyone started walking off toward the T-Car and Beast Boy stayed put, knelt against the ground. They didn't have any right to talk about him that way!

"Yo, you comin' Grass stain?" Cyborg yelled back at him. Beast Boy shook his head,

"I'll be there later." He said, transforming painfully into a falcon once more and taking to the skies.

* * *

Raven nodded her head back and forth, trying to gain consciousness. Where was she? 

_ Oh yeah, you were waiting up for Beast Boy_. She told herself, glancing around her room. She was sitting on a chair by the window, one that overlooked the water to the West of the city.

_ Beast Boy never came home after the fight with Dr. Light, I wonder if he's back now._ Raven mentally pondered as she rose to her feet and stretched her arms out wide. A small yawn penetrated her lips and she cracked her neck before moving toward her bed.

No sooner had she pulled herself under the covers and shut her eyes did they pop open again. She couldn't just sleep, she had to know if he was okay. He was her teammate, and teams stuck by each other right?

Raven crawled from under the security of her blanket and made her way briskly to the hallway. She glanced left and right and headed a few yards down to Beast Boy's room. She hadn't heard the usually loud snoring that permeated the hallways from his crude sleeping habits, but that didn't mean he wasn't there. Raven walked over to his door and knocked quietly, waiting a few moments before repeating the process harder.

"Beast Boy, are you there?" She asked softly, careful not to wake Starfire who had an impeccable sense of hearing her nighttime wonderings.

CLANK! _What was that?_ Raven shot her head toward the stairwell; she'd heard something. Slowly she began to move toward the stairs, the faint noise not reappearing immediately.

_ Oh great, I hear a scary noise so I go blindly after the source. Way to be victim number one Raven._ She thought as she descended down the stairs and into another hallway.

The noise picked up more force as she neared the training area in the Tower. Raven heard a soft grunting and a little panting that sounded familiar.

_ Beast Boy!_ She ran toward the training room, peering through an open door. There were several circular robots surrounding a huddled green mass that was beast Boy on the ground. He was panting and unable to move, when one of the bots shot a laser beam at him.

Raven watched Beast Boy's body fly into the air and come back down on the ground painfully. He was nearly unconscious, the A.I. of the training sim should've turned off the attack bots by now. She rushed in as another shot threw Beast Boy against the wall, cracking his skull and mixing green skin with red blood. Raven gasped as she nearly slid into a kneeling position over him.

"Training Simulation terminate!" She called out, watching as the robots dimmed and landed on the ground slowly. Raven turned back to Beast Boy.

"Oh, Beast Boy, are you okay, speak to me!" She said, thoughts flying through her mind. What if he was seriously injured, or worse. What if he died? She wrapped her arms around his curled figure.

"Argh." a mumbled cry came from his mouth. Raven jumped back as Beast Boy pushed her arms away.

"Go away, I'm training." He mumbled, his eyes opening and closing. Raven was confused, why was he saying that?

"Beast Boy, you're delirious, c'mon I gotta get you to your room." She bent down and threw his arm over her shoulder, standing up so that she was supporting him. She couldn't let him die on her watch, it'd be too easy.

"Raven, I'm not delirious, just hurt. I don't want to go to my room, I'm not finished training." He said, shaking his head. Raven took a deep breath and continued walking with him on her shoulders, he wasn't in any condition to fight it anyway.

_ Why was he so focused on training, and did he realize how hurt he could've been? _She pondered to herself. Beast Boy had indeed saved her earlier in battle, so this was just returning the favor. Teammate to teammate. Raven continued down the hallway, when Beast Boy pushed off of her, standing on his own two feet and breathing heavily. He seemed as if he had regained his energy, partially at least.

"I said I want to go back to training, just leave me alone." He nearly whispered, yet he said it with as much force as he would've were yelling.

Raven's voice was dry and sterile, "Beast Boy, you cannot go train in this condition, you can't poss-"

"Why? Because I'm _useless_." He snapped at her. Raven recoiled; using her own words against her, it stung. She didn't mean it that way, things just came out of her mouth. She didn't actually think he was useless, just at times he could be . . . Distracting. Besides, who was he to try to throw something in her face when she was only trying to help. Maybe she should let him get killed in the simulation room.

Raven's better judgement got a hold of her though, and while still monotonous and sterile, she apologized half-heartedly, "Beast Boy, I didn't mean it."

"Then why'd you say it, Miss I-Control-My-Emotions. You had to have meant it, because you didn't say it out of anger."

"Beast Boy, you don't know how my emotions work." Raven said, trying to diffuse the situation, maybe if she got him talking about something else she could calm him. He was acting like a stubborn child and she didn't do babies.

"Yes I do Raven, a lot more than you think I know. You only had two eyes, which means you're not spooky Raven." He even managed to make "Spooky Raven" sound like acid. Raven didn't know what to say, so she sat there, quiet. What could she say, he did have a point.

"If you don't mind then, I'll go back to training." Beast Boy turned to go back to the training room, bracing himself against the wall. Raven didn't know what to do, she had to stop him.

"You're useless to us dead too Beast Boy." she said, making sure to say his name. Beast Boy stopped, mumbling something Raven couldn't hear. She rushed over to him while trying to make it look casual; she knew she had to get him to his room fast.

"Beast Boy, what level were you training on?" She asked, referring to the difficulty of the training simulator.

"Eleven." He said stiffly. Raven flinched a little, that was the highest level, even Robin didn't train on level eleven. Raven was about to do something very wrong. She was about to go against her friend and teammates wishes and invade their privacy, but she felt as if she had to.

Raven put her hand on Beast Boy's shoulder and phased away from the hallway and moved upward, landing in the middle of his room.

Raven glanced around at her surroundings, all her previous ventures to Beast Boy's room had encountered a messy bunk bed and a room that looked as if Hurricane Katrina had recently devastated it, however this was massively different. The Bunk Bed had been replaced with a dark green king sized bed, and the room was immaculately clean. Raven glanced at the surroundings, on the nightstand was a picture of two people, assembly his parents, and on the dresser was a picture of Terra, the team, and one of her and Beast Boy

"Raven, why'd you do that. I told you, I want to go train!"

"Beast Boy," Raven turned her attention back to the Changeling, "Why are you doing this? I can't allow you to hurt yourself, not as your friend I can't."

Beast Boy sat back, landing on his bed. He held his stomach with one hand as he looked down,

"You don't understand. I need to, I'm not useless Raven, I'll show you that I'm not." A tear cascaded down his face and hit the floor.

Raven wasn't used to this side of Beast Boy, of course she'd encountered him at his serious times, but this was something completely different. What could she do? Her tough love approach wasn't helping too much, and he was in serious trouble. For once in her life Raven found herself wishing she could make Beast Boy smile instead of the other way around. The feeling was unnerving and unfamiliar. She didn't like it.

"Beast Boy, I don't think you are, listen to me." She knelt down beside him, "Now, you know that friends get mad at each other, but you can't take it all to heart."

"Rav-" Beast was cut off by a loud pounding. He glanced around and the echo permeated the tower.

"What was that?" He asked slowly. Raven's head cocked toward the clocked, it said 3:34 A.M. She looked at Beast Boy,

"It's the front door. Someone's knocking."

* * *

Author's Note- What do you think? OoC, good buildup, c'mon I need constructive criticism. This is based on my love of BB and nothing else! Yeah. And anyone who knows Garfield Logan's past, I think I have it down, but anyone who feels like writing a bio on his that'd be awesome, send it to me in a review! 


	2. Chapter 2

-1Author's Note- Here's the chapter where BB's bravery comes into play. I feel like the characters were OOC last chapter, so I'll try to keep them in, however Beast Boy is going through some struggles in this story, so he'll always be a little OOC, call it maturing, but only to the point that he feels he must prove himself.

* * *

Chapter 2- Deal With the Devil (Part One) 

Beast Boy looked at Raven as she stood up, preparing to leave his room. He didn't know what to do, he wanted her to stay, to forget the door and keep talking to him, she was starting to make him feel better. Inside, he began reconstructing his bones, and fixing the breaks. It was a part of his powers he kept secret, morphing bones into other forms also healed them a hell of a lot faster than time and Ibuprofen did.

_Of course, you didn't do it purposely, and it took nearly killing yourself to figure it out._ He thought to himself.

"Raven, wait!" Beast Boy said, forgetting all the anger he'd held for her moments ago. He flinched as his bones started to mend. He could by no means be called a healer, but he could save some work for the medics. He braced himself against the bed and stood up, looking over at an anxious Raven.

"What Beast Boy?" Her shrewd and characteristic monotonous voice back as well. He faltered, how would she take what he was about to say?

"I . . . I don't." He stammered, unsure of himself all of a sudden.He just didn't want her to leave, not without finishing what they had started. She couldn't fight him and then drop it! His emotions were flaring up again . . . . it was all too confusing.

"Well, can it wait? I'm going to figure out what the hell is going on." She said, turning toward his doorway.

"NO, I mean, don't go. I, uh, I don't want you to go." He finished. Raven looked back at him blankly; did he look as stupid as he felt right now? "I mean, it might be dangerous and I wouldn't want anything to happen." He added.Maybe fighting right now wasn't what he needed.

Raven nodded slowly, bringing her brand of cool logic to the table, "Beast Boy, I'm a superhero. I face trouble everyday, I can take care of myself." She said, turning toward the door and stepping to it. It slid open and Raven exited, walking down the hallway. Beast Boy didn't need his super amplified hearing to notice the small call she made back to him.

"Besides, if you're so worried about my safety, why don't you come with me?"

* * *

Beast Boy and Raven walked to the front door, meeting up with a tired looking Starfire, a disturbed Cyborg and a testy Robin.

"Yo, what's goin' on here?" Cyborg asked, rubbing his eye with his mechanical arm. Starfire shrugged,

"It is not strange that a friend come knocking this early is it not?" She asked. Robin shook his head,

"Or maybe it's not a friend at all Star." He moved forward to the door, the rest of the team behind him.

It slid open amidst the green glow of Starfire's ready Starbolts and the blue hum of Cyborg's Sonic Cannon. Directly in front of the teens was a man.

Well, not so simply put, it wasn't really a man, but at first glance you'd think it was a man. Not just any man though, a rather well-to-do man by appearances. He had on black Italian cut Pierre Cardon shoes, top of the line designer cufflinks. He wore an all black suit, clean and silky with a nicely pressed white dress shirt underneath. His tie was all black and sat perfectly on his collar. He had a handsome face, and his eyes were covered with sunglasses, even though it was still dark outside.

"Nice to see you've finally come to the door Titans, I hope that I didn't interrupt anyone's sleep." He said, stepping forward and into the domain of the Tower. All four Titans moved aside as the man brashly entered, briefcase in hand. The door shut behind him slowly, an ominous warning.

"Who are you?" Robin asked, his hand fidgeting near his utility belt. The eyes on his ubiquitous mask narrowed as he glanced over the stranger.

Beast Boy stood back. His eyes darting between the eerie stranger and Raven. He'd come down here to protect her, and now he was beginning to think that the playful joke just might turn out to be more necessary. He wasn't sure what he could do in the shape he was in, he still wasn't feeling well from his training session. Though his ribs had healed already, the cuts, sores and bruises were still fresh underneath his uniform. The man's voice was small and flowing; immediately criminal, every word sounded like that of a sleazy used car salesman.

"I am a person who is here to help you with your problem Titans, my name is Lucifer, and I have a proposition for you."

"Oh, great make a deal with a guy named Lucifer." Raven's sarcasm kicked in immediately, it was almost as if it were on autopilot. Beast Boy on the other hand wasn't in the mood for jokes, everything about his animal senses told him that the next few minutes would bring trouble; and a whole lot of it.

"What kind of problem; and what kind of deal?" Robin asked, his hands still near his belt. The man, Lucifer held his hand out in front of the group, palm upward. He began to twirl it around and suddenly, a small orb appeared suspended above his hand like a hologram.

"This, my friends, is a model of your planet." He pointed toward a small orb over the holographic Earth. "This, is Meteor, the bane of your existence."

"Yes, now please do tell how you plan to rectify this problem?" Starfire said snappily. Lucifer smiled.

"Why pretty young miss, I'll tell you how. I just happen to have the key to fixing your problem, I know how to get rid of Meteor, but I need heroes."

"So why us, why not the Justice league or something. If your plan is so foolproof, why come to Titans Tower?" Cyborg asked. Lucifer shook his head slowly, his eerie calm never leaving.

"Because the justice League are being foolish, foolish and refusing my help. They have their own plan, a giant gun. Geez, will they ever learn."

Robin got defensive immediately, "Well, if they don't need you, we don't either. Leave." He said acidly. Robin stormed to the door and pushed a button, allowing it to open.

Lucifer looked at the door, and then to Robin before turning to address the entire team, "I understand, but get some sleep on it Titans. Your planet is at stake. I'll give you until Midnight tonight to make you're decision. I'll be out here, in front of your Tower. " Lucifer said before turning and walking out calmly with a briefcase in hand.

Beast Boy turned to see Raven already heading up toward her room. He didn't want her to go, he wanted more time with her, more conversation with her. _He wanted more her_.

"Night BB." Cyborg's voice called out to him as the rest of the Titans headed for bed.

"Yeah, Night Cy." He said before sauntering off toward his own room; his infatuation could wait.

* * *

Beast Boy landed quickly, scouting out the area. The bank directly in front of him was being looted by three members of the Hive Five: Kyd Wykkyd, Mammoth, and Gizmo. Landing right next to him was Raven, glancing down at him briefly before scoping out her targets as well. He remembered how he got there in the first place.

_Beast Boy awoke to the flashing and ringing of his Titans signal. He didn't have much time to contemplate what was happening, he just jumped out of bed quickly. His clothes still on and for the most part intact, Beast Boy bolted out of his door and immediately to the Common Room._

_He entered to the backs of three other Teens, all looking up at their leader for guidance. Robin's rhetoric was concise and terse, "HIVE, downtown."_

"Hey Rae." Beast Boy said calmly, meanwhile his insides were anything but calm. He felt so strange about the previous night, although nothing happened, _something did_. Something changed and it was only Raven who could stop it. He felt his primal urges growing, however this time it wasn't into a werewolf-like howling beast, it was into a man.

"Hello yourself Beast Boy." She said curtly, her monotone returning like a boomerang in Australia. Beast Boy opened his mouth to say something else, but very quickly, a wave of energy flew toward them.

Beast Boy leapt out of the way as Raven's soul self sifted through the building below them. Gizmo's sonic wave destroyed the spot Beast Boy had been standing merely a moment earlier.

"Nice dodge ya' snotstuffers!" His childish voice rang out. Beast Boy didn't like the incessant whine of Gizmo's drawl, yet it continued. "How'd you like another one!" Beast Boy moved quickly as another wave flew toward him.

He crossed from rooftop to rooftop, ducking and dodging before transforming smoothly into a cheetah to outrun Gizmo's attacks. He skidded to a halt and looked downward as the barrage ceased, below him Cyborg had been doing battle with the brainy technician, leaving the Grass Stain to avoid injury. He looked around, Robin and Starfire were handling Wykkyd pretty nicely, and Raven was up against Mammoth.

He eyed the battle, Raven's smaller stature giving her the upper hand when it came to dodging. Mammoth didn't know what he was getting into, the cheetah grinned. Raven moved flawlessly in battle, making her falls look like graceful dives, and her attacks look like invitation to join her. She truly was beautiful, there was no denying it. Beast Boy watched as she phased into the ground, appearing behind Mammoth on the other side of the street. He watched as Mammoth picked up a fire hydrant and threw it at Raven, missing horribly and hitting the wall above her. He was off by at least fifteen feet!

Wait! Beast Boy knew what he was doing! Chunks from the wall above Raven broke off, falling down toward the girl. As she looked up, and away from her attacker, Mammoth grabbed a nearby car.

Beast Boy jumped off the roof onto Kyd Wykkyd, who was facing Robin and Starfire. He landed, paws first, onto her back, launching the sorceress face first into the ground. Not breaking stride he leapt forward, passing Starfire and Robin who made their way toward the incapacitated villain. Beast Boy smoothly passed through two similar beams of energy, passing through the sonic cannon duel of Cyborg and Gizmo. He didn't care, he had somewhere to be, someone to save.

The car was in the air and Beast Boy wasn't even close to Raven. Would she see it? Would he get there in time? The cheetah's pace was faster than the car, he was going to make it! Beast Boy's front paws landed on the ground about ten feet from Raven, who had just looked forward to see a rather ugly SUV headed toward her. Beast Boy couldn't hit her as a cheetah, he'd ripped a hole through her, his claws would cut her, and his force would break her!

In mid-leap he transformed into the softest thing he could think of at the moment: himself. In an instant he threw Raven to the ground, feet away from him before he saw the undercarriage of a truck, felt every bone in his body crush, and saw everything fade away.

* * *

Raven walked down the hallway, heading for the Medlab. Cyborg had sent her to her room to rest after the battle with the Hive, but she had other things on her mind.

_Beast Boy._

Why did he do something to ridiculously brave? Why would he take a car for her. Punch? Sure. Bullet? Maybe. Car? That's unexpected. Why would he do something so notoriously Beast Boyish in a situation of life and death.

_Not 'death' Raven, he's not going to die._ She told herself, but her mind knew differently. There was a good chance he was going to die as a matter of fact. Green or not, Beast Boy was human. He didn't have super strength like Star, or big flexing muscles like Cyborg. He was a boy, a boy who had a SUV thrown into him.

Raven clenched her eyes shut at the thought of it; she'd seen everything. It replayed a million times in her head already.

_Raven suddenly felt a push from her left side as the car headed toward her. She looked over, falling to the ground immediately, only to see a green blur. Her elbows scrapped the sidewalk as she watched his hands crossed in front of his chest like an 'X'; it wouldn't stop what was coming. The SUV hit Beast Boy's body, pushing it into the brick wall not two feet behind him. His neck folded like a piece of paper and his skull cracked; the blood sprayed from his arms onto Raven's face. The wall didn't give way immediately, it held for about a millisecond before collapsing under the weight and letting Beast Boy fly through it, truck in tow. _

She could feel something behind her eyes starting to well up, and she wouldn't let it. Taking a deep breath the monotone witch calmly regained her composure. She turned the next corner, following the well-known path to the Medlab when she ran into something.

Actually, it was someone, a big someone.

"Nah-uh Rae. You're on Bed Rest." The big brotherly tone of Cyborg rang through her ears. Raven looked up at the big guy, thankful that he cared but annoyed that he was getting in the way.

"I was just getting some tea. Is that against the rules of bed rest?" She asked softly. A small lie and a sweet attitude could get her out of this without any questions hopefully.

"Or maybe you were going to the Medlab to see how Beast Boy's doing." He said knowingly. _The question playing in Raven's head happened to be, how did he know?_

"Cy-" She started, but stopped when she felt Cyborg's large arms grabbed her. He calmly lifted her in the air and turned her body around, facing away from him and the Medlab.

"I don't want to hear it. He's stable, I told you that I'll let you see him after you rest. Tonight the Justice League is shooting their cannon at Meteor so this thing'll be over. Do you wanna miss it?" He said in a commanding sort of voice.

"Miss a bunch of grown superhero men comparing gun sizes. Of course I don't wanna miss it, it's not a measuring contest at all." Her words saturated in commonplace sarcasm. Nevertheless she continued on her path, the path away from the Medlab. _And Beast Boy _she added as an afterthought.

Raven stopped abruptly, looking around to see if anyone was present, then proceeded to let her soul self take form. She traveled through the walls of the tower, moving silently and immediately into the Medlab. The only light on in the room was a blue one that was on Beast Boy's monitor. Next to the Monitor of course was Beast Boy himself. He was unconscious, breathing shallowly, and bloodied still. Next to him was a large wet spot where Starfire had cried by his side for about two hours, and on the other side was a stuffed animal she'd given him in hopes that he'd wake soon.

As of now he was still in a coma. Raven stepped closer to the boy, looking around him. His clothes had been trashed, and he was only in a pair of white, clean boxers. His body was green with large purple bruises covering it like a cow's spots, and his face was cut up pretty badly. She knew that what she was about to do was a very bad idea, at least for her it was, yet she held her hands over him anyway.

"Beast Boy." She whispered softly, positive that he wouldn't hear her rhetoric. "You didn't have to. " She said, a blue light emanating from her fingertips. The glow entrapped the Changeling's entire body, sparkling along.

"You really didn't have to be so stupid." She continued, unable to control her words, "You're an idiot. You're so stupid, so, so stupid. I have psychic powers for goodness sakes, you could've told me to teleport away, why would you jump in the way?" The healing continued more than she had originally planned, but she was on a roll. She didn't know what to do, but she had words she had to get off her chest.

"Why would you transform into yourself anyway? Why would you do that? Why would you try to kill yourself, that's what it was Beast Boy, it was suicide. I get it, you're strong, you're brave, I understand. You don't have to come next to death to prove it everyday Beast Boy! You can't! What if I would've lost you huh? Then what? What good is bravery if you don't exist! You're so stupid!" She stopped; she was getting emotional. The swelled up tears had found some way out without her noticing, and her hands had continued healing the boy more than she had wanted to.

Raven pulled her hands down and collapsed to the ground, sitting next to Beast Boy's bed. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her intake. Her hand rose and wiped a tear from her cheek. Was she really crying? Since when did she cry? Ravens didn't cry, so she didn't right? Raven looked over at Beast Boy; bruises gone and bloodied cuts healed. She'd done a bang up job, and overused her powers at the same time. Great!

Raven stood up slowly, heading for the door. Perhaps it was time to listen to Cyborg; bed sounded so good about now.

* * *

Author's Note- Wow, well, I just broke up this chapter and the next one. Imagine double this size. What would you guys rather want, a really long chapter? Or shorter ones (Like this size) posted about once every week or week and a half? It's up to my reader's, I'll do whatever. And THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed, especially telling me about BB's past, I appreciate it. 


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note- Here's the second part of one of my favorite chapters. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3- Deal With the Devil (Part Two)

Beast Boy opened his eyes, his head felt like a train wreck. What happened? Oh, yeah! He remembered! He'd lost his freaking mind and jumped in front of a speeding truck!

He cracked his neck and looked around, he was still in the Medlab.

"Dude, how am I still alive? Or does Heaven just get a lot of sports injuries?" He joked aloud. Even when nobody was around he was still the comedian.

Beast Boy looked down at himself, surprised to see that he was, well fine! There weren't a ton of like he'd expected, there actually wasn't a scratch on him. His head hurt, but other than that he felt physically fine. That was awesome!

Beast Boy climbed out of bed, immediately wincing in pain. The lack of bruises did not apparently, equal no pain. His entire body was burning with a dull pain. He was more sore than he'd thought possible.

He grabbed a change of clothes and hurriedly put them on before leaving the room. His gloved hands tapped against the corridor walls as he crossed the entrance to the Common Room. Beast Boy didn't go in, he didn't bother because he knew no one was in there. He could hear their voices and breathing even from where he was: they were on the roof.

His feet dragged him up his usual pathway to get to the roof, his body still aching. _Raven's okay though, that's what matters._ He said to himself, surprising his inner ego.

_Why do I care about Raven so much? Would I have done the same thing for Starfire? No, but that's because she's stronger than me, but Robin? Yeah, of course I'd help Robin. Right?_

He was too caught up in his thoughts to realize that he'd already gotten to the door leading to the roof. Suddenly a voice snapped him back to reality.

"What are you doing here?" Cyborg's voice was confused and commanding. He obviously didn't approve.

"What are you guys doing here?" Beast Boy asked back, not in a snappy tone, but in a challenging one.

"Friend Beast Boy!" Starfire's shout cut both boys off. Suddenly a blur of purple and orange grabbed him, pulling him into a patented Starfire Hug.

"Argh, hello to you too Star." Beast Boy managed between breaths. She released her grip and let him go as Robin and Raven walked over. All fiver Titans were now standing together.

"You're already feeling better BB? You sure you don't need anymore rest?" Robin asked. Raven was silent in the back. Beast Boy smirked,

"Nah, I'm just a little sore. Who knew those commercials for the crash test dummies were so off. My head didn't even fly away. Hehe." Beast Boy joked, but from the faces in front of him, nobody took it lightly.

"You're still not funny Beast Boy." Raven said curtly and turned away from him, walking away. _What was her problem? He had gotten hurt saving her life, the least she could do was pretend she cared!_

"Ignore her friend Beast Boy, she's been . . . Lobster-like as of late." Starfire said, noticing his eyes veering toward Raven's descent.

"Lobste-" Beast Boy started, but Robin interjected.

"She's been crabby. Seriously though Beast Boy, you got hit by a car, are you sure you can be here. It's fine if you want some more rest."

"I'm fine. Why is everyone up here though?" He asked, meaning to get around to that when he first entered the rooftop doorway.

"Did you forget man! The JL is shooting off their Cannon tonight. Meteor is going to be, Booyah'd to the max!" Cyborg exclaimed with great enthusiasm. Beast Boy did forget, the Justice League had a giant cannon that they were going to shoot off at 11:50, but he didn't know it was already so close to time.

He walked forward, passing Robin and Starfire and Cyborg who had begun a conversation about something and heading toward the edge, toward Raven.

She was sitting in her normal meditative position and floating above the air, but she wasn't meditating. Beast Boy stood next to her, not knowing what he was about to say. She beat him to it.

"You're an idiot." She said simply, but when her turned to see her face it wasn't one of anger, more like worry.

"Always, but why this time in particular?" He asked, his voice dripping with suave charm.

"Because you jumped in front of a car to save me. You should-"

"Don't." Beast Boy cut her off strongly. _She wasn't about to tell him what he was going to do, or who he was going to save. If he wanted to save her life a thousand times then she'd just have to deal with that, well, deal or stop getting in dangerous situations. _

"Beast B-" Raven started up again, but he cut her off once more, Beast Boy: 2, Raven: 0.

"No. I don't want to hear you tell me that I shouldn't have saved your life Raven. It was worth it, and anything less is an insult to both of us." He glared over at her.

They stood in silence, well, Beast Boy stood and Raven floated. He didn't know where his outburst came from, but it sedated Raven. She didn't snap back at him, and she didn't even seem that mad for him cutting her off. Slowly and hesitantly Beast Boy's arm moved up, landing his hand on Raven's shoulder. She winced in pain however, and he snatched it away.

"Sorry." He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck in sheepish dismay.

"No problem Beast Boy." She said deliberately. "I- YOU!" Raven said. Beast Boy jumped, what had he done, but then he smelled him.

Beast Boy turned around to see Lucifer walking toward the five, briefcase in hand.

"What are you doing back, I thought we told you to get lost." Robin said, his fighting pose struck already. The other five Titans moved into position immediately, facing the clam and collected man.

"Now, now Titans, I'm merely here to help you once again. In about a minute the Justice League will shoot off their precious cannon, and in about a minute, it'll fail, and you'll be wishing you'd taken me up on my offer. Now here's what I'll do, because I like your spunk kid." He nodded at Robin, smirking slightly. "I'll let you guys watch the cannon not work, then I'll give you one more chance for my offer, how's that?"

"How about you stay away." Robin growled between clenched teeth. Lucifer didn't budge.

"Look, it's starting!" Cyborg called out, turning everyone, including Lucifer's attention to the sky. Above Jump City a light emanated from a space station. The light grew as it charged up a large barrel.

"They're going to shoot the meteor!" Beast Boy called out, his knack for stating the obvious getting the better of him.

The beam of light stopped at the end of the barrel, creating a small ball of apparent energy particles. The ball grew larger and larger, charging up to it's maximum power.

Slowly, the cannon turned in air and pointed toward the huger glowing rock that hovered above the planet. The glowing huge rock that had plagued the city for day.

Suddenly it fired, launching a thick beam of light into the mass of rock that stayed motionless in air. A puff of smoke erupted, and cheers fell throughout Jump City. Beast Boy looked over at Lucifer,

"See, the Justice League have it all taken care of, so you can just leave." He said, smiling brightly.

"Next time we see you around here, we'll have to take you down." Robin added, a smirk evident on his face also. The two boys chided Lucifer cockily.

"Now, now Titans, As the smoke and mirrors clear, look what your precious cannon has done!" He said, his eyes moving upward in the sky. Sure enough, as the smoke began to fade and clear, the Meteor was still there.

Chunks of it were off, but electricity connected them as if some force was mending the rock from the inside. It hovered mercilessly above all, still a powerfully intimidating force. Suddenly out of nowhere a rock hit the roof, causing a large indent.

"What's that?" Beast Boy asked, looking to the sky. He could make out hundreds more rocks, falling toward the city.

"It's pieces of the Meteor, they're falling. Robin, watch out!" Raven said, dodging a falling piece of rock. Cyborg's cannon went off as Raven ran over toward Beast Boy.

"You okay?" He asked, glancing at her and looking back up, waiting for more rocks to fall. Raven nodded, grabbing his arm.

"This way." She called, running toward the doorway to the stair and entering it. Beast Boy jumped the last part as another rock split open the door frame and the two plummeted down the staircase, landing in a crumpled heap at the bottom.

"You okay?" He asked immediately, pulling himself up. Raven was already on her feet before he got the words out however. They heard a lot of bumps coming from above them, the roof was getting torn apart.

"Why'd you bring me in here?" Beast Boy asked Raven, nervously looking upward. She didn't respond right away, she just peered at the ceiling as if she could see through it.

"Because the rocks might've hurt us. We're the two that are still hurt. " She said simply. Beast Boy shrugged, it made sense. After the pounding on the roof subsided he ran back up the stairs, looking out.

Lucifer was standing perfectly still in the same exact spot, his briefcase still hanging loosely at his side. All around him there were chunks of fallen rock, but he was unfazed. Cyborg was standing above Robin who had Starfire bent around him on his other side.

"What happened?" Beast Boy asked as he approached them, Raven in tow.

"I have a sprained ankle, possibly broken, but we don't know." Robin said, wincing at his foot. Nobody said anything as the footsteps of Lucifer approached them. Starfire helped Robin to his feet and all five looked at the neatly dressed man.

"Titans, if you're ready to listen now, come with me." He said, waving his hand in the air and creating a hole.

Not just any hole, it was a swirling vortex in the middle of the air, right in front of them. Lucifer bowed to the five and stepped through it, disappearing from their sight, Raven was the first to follow.

x x x x x

Raven landed in a dirty old arena. The place looked like the inside of a rather large cave, large enough to be the coliseum in Rome. There were rows of seat all around them, as if the arena had been used for games and galleries, and the ceiling and walls were lit by torches.

They surrounded a pillar to the end of the floor, which was made of sand and dirt. On the pillar sat a beautiful crystal ball, swirling in it's contents.

"I'm glad you came with me finally Titans, we don't have a lot of time. " Lucifer said. Raven glanced around the coliseum once more, it looked primitive.

"What are we getting into?" Robin asked, his teeth clenched. Rave couldn't tell if it was from the pain in his legs or for his disdain of the situation.

"Well, let me explain. The Meteor above your planet isn't natural, it's magical."

"We knew that." Beast Boy chimed in, his disdain for the situation apparent. Raven was glad that he was standing up against Lucifer, she wasn't sure if the old Beast Boy would've.

"Well, that's good, then we're one step closer to you understanding what's going on. I'm from Frogstar B, a planet that houses a group known as _The Insidious_. They are the foulest of the foulest and the rudest of the rude. They are evil incarnate, and will do nothing short of world destruction to get what they want."

"Well, what do they want and what does this have to do with us?" Cyborg asked.

"They want a challenge, and it has everything to do with you!" Lucifer said quickly, his voice raising. For the first time it seemed as if he had lost his cool. "Listen Titans, I don't think you're making the connection. The Insidious move from planet to planet, placing Meteor above them."

"What does that accomplish?" Starfire questioned. Lucifer smirked.

"Well, everything my dear. Once this is done, someone is sent to find a hero to stop this. If the Hero can pass a series of trials, then the Insidious will move along to another planet."

"So all we have to do is pass a couple of tests. That's easy!" Beast Boy said, his eyes facing the ground. _What's going on in his head?_ Raven wondered, watching his green orbs never look up.

"Well, yes, but it won't be that easy. See, the catch is only one of you can participate. All of you can watch, but only one of you can be in the trials."

"Okay." Robin said, immediately taking charge. "So what's next?"

Lucifer stepped aside and made the orb more visible to the crowd. He motioned toward it, continuing in his rhetoric.

"This is the orb of Frogstar B, inside it holds the life essence of all people from the planet. All you have to do it take it off the stand, and then you are immediately bound to take place in the Trials. Be careful however, because this isn't something to be taken lightly. Once you remove this orb there's no turning back. "

"Okay." Robin said, moving toward the orb, but Lucifer stopped him.

"And remember, once the Trials start, only the chosen one can set foot on this stage. Anyone else who does will be killed, the shrine demands blood from someone if two are on this arena. So don't take this lightly Titans." Lucifer said.

Raven watched as Robin nodded and stepped forward again, only to limp down in pain.

"Friend Robin, you are injured! You cannot!" Starfire said quickly, bending over Robin and holding him in her arms.

"I have to Star, the fate of the world."

"But Robin, are we not all heroes, surely Cyborg can-"

"Yeah Robin, or Star, you know she's strong enough to face anything." Cyborg added. He glanced over at Raven, who was standing silently, "Raven too. Raven's seen more than most of us have."

"But, this is serious, I can't let you guys take this risk. I'm a leader."

"Yes Robin, but does a leader not also need to know when to delegate?" Starfire said as they stood up.

"Star-"

"Well, what about if Raven or Cyborg gave it a try? Or maybe . . . "Starfire continued talking but Raven stopped paying attention. As the three argued she glanced over at Beast Boy, or at the spot Beast Boy should've been. He wasn't there.

_He didn't. No, he couldn't do something that stupid, Beast Boy wasn't the smartest guy but he didn't do what I think he just did, did he?_ Raven's head moved slowly toward the pillar that held the orb, first the boots, moving up the black and purple outfit. Gloved hands and green skin.

She gasped and caused all the other Titans to look up too.

Beast Boy had grabbed the orb.

* * *

Author's Note- Wow. That was a long chapter. 14 pages, 10 sized font! I'll probably break it up into two chapters though, that way it keep people wanting, however it puts the real stuff off another chapter. How about you guys tell me, do you want really long chapters or shorter ones with less time in-between. Just give some feedback! 


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note- Okay, so on with the next part of the story. I keep getting the feeling that I haven't given the characters enough personality. I'm not sure if I have or not, but I'm trying. Any feedback is well appreciated by the way, oh and I have over 300 HITS! But 23 reviews. C'mon, I know everyone begs for reviews, but I want to know if I'm doing good. I mean I don't get as many reviews as CalliopeMused or BlueTitan or HappyRaven and stuff, so tell me what I should tweak about my writing that would make me get that good!

Note- Terra isn't a character in this story. So don't be confused. There is a scene that may take some explanation, but this is not a "Terra's Back" fic.

* * *

Chapter 4- Vindicated

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKIN" MAN?" Cyborg yelled as the Titans all followed Beast Boy into the Common Room. He'd just taken the magical orb off of the whimsical pedestal and entered himself into a mystical tournament that held the fate of Earth on the balance.

"Well, you guys said it yourself, Robin was injured!" He said, yelling back at Cyborg without turning around. Beast Boy kept walking toward the kitchen, with the rest of the Titans in tow.

"Why are you being so stupid about this Beast Boy! This isn't a joke, or a game, it's life or death!" Robin shouted. Beast Boy spun around quickly to glare at their leader.

"What? You think I don't know that? I was listening when Lucifer explained everything just like you were!" He retaliated.

"Yes Beast Boy, you were listening, but perhaps you had not heard as we did. Are you sure you're up for the task of Hero-ing?" Starfire asked, her voice still whimsical when it was being abusive.

"Yes Star, I'm sure I know what I'm doing. Why don't any of you believe in me?" He asked, his voice lowering to a growl.

"It's not that we don't believe in ya' man, it's that we know you. Beast Boy, this isn't a game where you get nine lives, you only get one!"

"I know that CY!" Beast Boy launched back. Why were they doing this to him? Why couldn't they just be friends and support him. Didn't he defeat the Brotherhood of Evil, weren't they indebted to him! Especially Robin's frozen ass!

"If you know it then why'd you grab the orb. This is something that's a group decision Beast Boys. We're the Teen _Titans! _Plural!" Robin shot back. Beast Boy looked over at Raven, who was standing silently.

"Well no body consulted me did they?" He shot back. Robin's eye's narrowed.

"Well nobody else grabbed the orb did they?" He said coldly. Beast Boy glared back, wondering about his next move. He was now a Champion, one who held the fate of the world in his palms.

According to Lucifer, in two days, at exactly midnight he was to meet on the roof and be teleported to the spot of the first trial. All the Titans could come, but only he could stand in the arena, and if anyone else can, the gate keeper of the arena would need a blood sacrifice; meaning the person who interfered.

"Guys, we're supposed to support each other and stuff, so why is no one supporting me? Didn't I prove myself already, where would you guys have been without me last winter?" He asked, referring to the Brotherhood of Evil and how he helped overcome them.

"Beast Boy, you can't throw that in our faces! We all helped overcome the evil siblings, and you're being a Khlorrbagg!" Starfire nearly yelled. Beast Boy stared at the four, they were supposed to have his back, but instead all they could do was show how little faith they had in him. He wasn't weak, and he was going to prove it!

"You know what, if you guys don't have faith in me, then so be it, but it's too late to change it now, so if you think I'm such a screw up, then you might as well go prepare for your last days on Earth. Either that, or you can have my back." He finished and stormed toward the door, pausing only a moment to glance at Raven as he exited.

Xxxxx

Beast Boy glared at her as he stormed out of the room, leaving all the Titans quiet. Why would he glare at her, it wasn't her fault he was such an idiot! There's no reason why he should think that he can just make big decisions without consulting the group. Besides, Beast Boy wasn't a hero, he was just . . . Beast Boy.

"Friend Raven, you are worried about Beast Boy too?" Starfire's voice floated through the dark Titan's thoughts.

"Huh?" She replied quickly, spinning around on the spot. Starfire looked at Raven with a mopey expression.

"Friend Beast Boy," She continued, going on with a subject Raven wasn't sure she wanted to talk about at the moment. "He is in danger, and you have been quiet. I was inquiring as to the connection."

It took Raven a moment to realize what Starfire had said. Normally it didn't take much to decipher, but right now her mind was split between all the things going on.

_Was she worried about Beast Boy? Is that why this upset her, or was it just because he was acting immature with something so terribly important? _

"No Star, the entire situation upsets me." She said tersely, walking past the Tamaranian without further comment. Raven exited the door without so much as a nod in parting with the rest of the group and headed straight to her room. She didn't know what was wrong, or why she was thinking so much lately, but she felt the need for meditation.

Xxxxx

Raven popped her eyes open suddenly, soaking in her surroundings. She glanced around and saw the night sky basking over the crisp waters surrounding the city. It took her a moment to remember why she was hovering in her usually lotus position, on the roof of Titan's Tower. _I wanted to have check out the scenery._ She thought to herself. Raven's mind immediately recognized this as a lie, she could sense the people in the tower, and one of the five were missing.

_Beast Boy's still not back yet._ She thought to herself, wondering where the hell he ran off to in such a hurry. Had they been too hard on him earlier, did he have a point about the Brotherhood of Evil, he did save them didn't he?

Raven floated downward to a standing position, glancing out into the open waters. Sometimes she liked to just enjoy the scenery, watching the water ripple against the shore, the birds flying high around the tower, and Lucifer walking around near the door again.

WAIT! Raven's eyes narrowed in on the man with the briefcase who was near the Titan's front door on his hands and knees. It was Lucifer, back once again, however, he was looking for something this time.

Raven raised her hands in the air, muttering "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos" before encasing herself in a black aura. It took the form of a bird by the same name and soared downward, landing near a large rock by Lucifer's current area.

Raven smoothly slid behind the rock and watched Lucifer stumble around until he found whatever it was he was looking for. He lifted it into the air, letting the moonlight shine on it. Raven gasped as it's crystalline figure sparkled in the air, it must've been worth a ton.

"What is it?" She muttered to herself. Lucifer glanced around suspiciously, and Raven pulled back, hiding herself behind the rock. Had he seen her? Did he have abilities that could sense people also?

"Alpha B to Frogstar command." She heard a voice say. Raven's spun around the rock again to see Lucifer talking into the small thing that he'd lost. Was he psycho, a crystal couldn't talk!

"Frogstar command here, continue operative." A voice that was crackled and harsh sounded through the night. It's origin was nowhere in sight, but Raven knew where it came from.

Lucifer was using the little crystal thing like a communicator. Much like the Titans had, only his was interstellar. Raven wondered why Lucifer would call command control, and why they called him an 'operative'.

"My mission hit a snag, sir." Lucifer's voice sounded weak, and submissive. Raven could tell by Lucifer's demeanor that it must take a worthy adversary to make him inferior. She continued to listen, her ears peaked.

"What kind of snag, operative?" The voice came from the crystal once again, only this time a little more harsh.

"Well, Robin didn't enter the tournament like planned. Instead, the other one did, the _useless_ one."

"What do you mean? Explain!"

"Well, remember when we profiled all the Titans, the lowest ranking one, they call him Beast Boy-" Lucifer was talking rapidly when the voice cut him off.

"Ah, the _green_ one."

"Yes sir, the green one stepped forward without consulting his friends. Now he is in the tournament, and since he took the orb it is a magical binding contract."

"Ah, Lucifer, you mustn't scare me like that. I was under the impression that something really bad had occurred. This just makes our job easier. It's simple Lucifer, the green one will fail, and the Earth shall be destroyed."

"But you-" Lucifer began, but the voice quaked him into silence.

"No buts! I want you to make sure this Beat Boy doesn't pass the tests, I want them hard! No, I want them excruciating, no one has ever survived the test of friendship have they? Or love, has anyone ever passed love before?"

"No sir." Lucifer said quietly. Raven's eyes narrowed as she tried to catch something he said under his breath.

"Lucifer! I will not tolerate such insubordination. You will give him the hardest versions of each test, no matter what you think he can handle. I want Earth gone, and I want my interstellar bypass built on time! The longer this planet stays in the way, the longer construction takes. Communication over!" The voice finished.

Lucifer sighed deeply and then looked around, shortly before walking off around the building and disappearing.

Raven on the other hand stayed right where she was. Had she heard correctly, they had tried to sabotage Robin, but Beast Boy messed up their plans. Now they were going to overwork him so he failed and they could destroy Earth to make way _for an interstellar bypass?_ Something wasn't fitting right here. Wouldn't they want a weaker contestant, why would they want Robin? Beast Boy should be perfect, he was the weakest Titan.

'_Did I just think that? Oh my god, he's right! We do look down on him. But then again, it's not our fault, somebody has to be weakest right?'_ She justified. Raven closed her eyes and let her soul self take form, lifting her away from the rock, and toward the Tower.

XXXXX

Beast Boy threw a few more punches at the drones following him before running up the nearest wall and backflipping on top of a fourth one. It's scanners went crazy as the changeling struggled to keep his balance. He glared around at the last two racing toward him. Taking a deep breath he puffed his chest out, and let his mouth roar.

His mouth grew in size, and his teeth sharpened, making a hole wide enough for a small ball of fire to shoot out. Actually, two balls of fire, and they weren't so small. Each ball of fire hit a drone and burst it to flames before Beast Boy's mouth shrank back to normal size. He looked down, and planted his fist directly down into the drone he was riding before pulling out all it's circuitry.

The drone spun around and Beast Boy leapt off of it as it soared right into a wall, exploding on impact. Beast Boy grinned, smiling at his performance. He'd expected less, but when there was an audience he tended to show off a little.

"So what's up Raven?" He asked, not turning toward the door. He knew she was there, he knew she'd been watching for at least five minutes, even without looking in her direction.

There were other ways to sense someone's presence, especially without eyes or psychic abilities. For instance, Raven wore a distinct perfume, one that smelled like chocolate raspberries. It was dark and smooth, it reminded him of Godiva Chocolate. There were other things of course though. Her feet made a distinct sound as she walked, Robin's steps were more brisk, and made less contact with the ground, and Cyborg's were louder. Starfire's footsteps had more space in-between, as if she were permanently skipping, and Raven . . . Well Raven just walked like Raven.

"When did you learn to spit fireballs from your mouth?" She asked suddenly, not looking at all interested. Beast Boy turned toward her, walking in her direction. He shrugged his shoulders, although he knew full and well when he learned how to do it.

"What do you mean you don't know. You know what, I don't care. We need to talk." She said swiftly, glazing her eyes over. Beast Boy squinty at her curtness, wasn't she so much softer a day ago? Was she angry about what he did too?

"Okay, talk about what? Are you going to tell me how stupid I am, because I've heard it enough today." He said, tiring of the conversation before actually having it. Raven shook her head.

"No, there's something more. I just went down to the shore okay." She began, and then proceeded to tell him about everything that had happened by the shore. Beast Boy listened to her story in awe. In complete amazement, when she stopped the only words from his mouth were surprised.

"Are you serious?" With a shocked tone. Raven stayed stalemated, replying with a uppity,

"I wouldn't say it if I wasn't. So what are you going to do?" She asked, expecting him to want out of the competition. That's exactly what she wanted, and she wasn't gong to get it!

"I'm going to leave, and not talk to you again." Beast Boy said, and walked past her. He hadn't gotten three steps when the girl materialized in front of him, shock evident on her face.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Raven, I'm not a complete idiot!" Beast Boy stated, knowing that she couldn't possibly believe him if she'd try to tell him a lie that was so far fetched.

"I didn't say you were Beast Boy."

"You practically did when you told me such a stupid lie. Lucifer forgot a crystal that was really a communicator and went back to have a conversation with someone who wants to win to _build an interstellar bypass_! Even my gerbil conspiracies are more believable than that! Raven, I thought of all people you'd have faith in me! But you're just one of them." And with that he stormed off, heading for the nearest window; he had some flying to do.

XXXXXBeast Boy landed on the outskirts of a cave, transforming from an Eagle to a human. His eyes adjusted immediately, leading him down the narrow pitch black trail deeper into the caverns on the outskirts of the city.

He followed the dirt clad pathway, ducking under stalactites and climbing over stalagmites until he came to an area that he knew all too well. In front of him was the base of a statue- statue not included. There was a plaque engraved with a supposed final message to a supposedly fallen Titan- Terra.

The spotlights than ran permanently glared off the rock and showed the vastness of the empty room. Beast Boy sighed; he needed something, he needed someone. _Someone who believed in him, someone who believed in Beast Boy as more than comic relief. _

He walked over to the empty platform, sitting on the edge and burying his head in his hands. His thoughts mulled over the last day before he and Terra lost it all, he thought about the carnival, and the diner. He thought about apple pie and Ferris Wheels. He thought about all he'd lost.

"Try thinking about what you've found." A voice said from next to him. Beast Boy turned himself quickly, looking to his side. She was there, right there. Her long blonde hair flowed down to her sides and her crystal clear blue eyes penetrated his gaze. '

"Terra?" He said disbelieving. She was still wearing her school girl outfit, would she still continue her charade about being a different girl?

"Not quite Beast Boy, imagine I'm Big Brother and this is 1984." She said, smiling slowly at her reference. Beast Boy stared at her nevertheless, knowing that the remark made sense vaguely in his head, but realizing at the same time that right now it didn't matter.

"Oh my god, So it's you!" He reached out to hug her, to touch her and hold her. To feel Terra beneath his fingertips once again, but she held out a hand.

"Wait, you can't touch me." She said softly, looking down at the ground. Beast Boy sat there, confused, _what did she mean?_

"Terra, you are Terra right?" He asked tentatively. She couldn't deny it this time though, last time she got away with it, _she got away from him._

"I'm whoever you want me to be Garfield." She said. Beast Boy hesitated; He'd never told her his real name. Nobody knew his real name as a matter of fact, the Titans knew now, but only because of the Doom Patrol, and he was sure they'd forgotten by now.

"What is that supposed to mean, and how do-" He started, but Terra cut him off, flipping her hair over her shoulder and turning toward him.

"Not now Garfield, there are more important things at stake. Things like you and the fate of the world." She began. Beast Boy just stared into her eyes, bright and blue with a glistening that was exactly like his memory of her.

"Okay." He nodded, going along with her.

"I believe in you Garfield. The Titans are your friends, and they believe too."

"They sure have a great way of showing it. Stupid jerks."

"Beast Boy, you didn't follow protocol. I'm not saying their right, but I'm not saying you weren't wrong either. Beast Boy, everyone makes mistakes. Robin became Slade's apprentice. Cyborg ditched the Titans. Starfire left the planet on the run, and Raven destroyed the world."

"But those were different. We had faith in each other then, no matter what we were on the other's sides. They're not backing me up this time, it's-"

"Beast Boy, you're missing the point entirely. I turned evil Garfield! I betrayed all the Titans, I betrayed the only person who I ever loved." Terra's head fell and she stared a the ground. Silence filled the caves with words that couldn't and wouldn't ever be spoken, but he knew already.

"Terra, you saved the day, you made up for it. You were-"

"Vindicated." She finished briefly.

"Yes, vindicated." He repeated, the word giving meaning to everything. Beast Boy smiled, knowing that it was going to be okay. He was going to prove he was hero material, it didn't matter about Robin, Cyborg or Starfire!

Most importantly though, he was going to prove himself to Raven.

The changeling looked back to Terra only to find she had gone. Not a word, or a sound in the place where she once sat. He quickly shook his head around the cave to find any trance of the girl; but there was none.

Beast Boy stood up, and started his trek back to the top of the cavern. He was headed home, and away from the most important conversation he'd ever had. The one that never really existed, but would stay with him forever. He was vindicated.

* * *

Author's Note- I swear to Bob you guys better have gotten that! I've been rereading 1984, so I'm in that state of mind. Anyone who reads that book knows what I mean. I just finished this right now though, so yeah, I'm trying for a Tuesday Update, but I don't even have the next chapter started, plus I started a new hosting job at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co. at the Mall of America so there may be a few days delay for the next chapter, but I'm not sure. Love you guys! 


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note**- Sorry for how long this has Taken. When I wrote this chapter initially, I disliked it as soon as I posted it. I couldn't finish the next chapter because that had been bugging me. Now I am going to rewrite them both.

* * *

Chapter 5- The Qualities of A Hero

Beast Boy landed on the rooftop of Titans Tower as an eagle, transforming back into himself immediately. He walked toward the door, cracking his neck in the process; he was tired. Right now there were three things he needed, sleep, food and S-

"Beast Boy!" Raven's voice cut him out of his deep thought as it bellowed out the door in front of him even before she did. Raven stormed through the door on the roof as Beast Boy neared it and walked straight up to him.

"If you want to be a jerk about all this, you can, but I for one am not going to be charged with not supporting a teammate. No matter how dumb he can be at times." She said, extending a piece of paper in her hand.

Beast Boy looked down and studied it, it was just some handwritten things that she had scrawled down; what good could it do?

"What is it?" He asked in a manner that was nothing more than confused. Raven sighed, lowering her voice,

"They're notes I wrote on the Hero Trials. I did a little research, just to see what happened in the past. I had to use some of my magic books, and a few of the Tamaranian ones we got from Starfire's wedding, but its solid information." She handed the papers over to him.

Beast Boy accepted the papers, looking from them up to Raven. _Why does she care all of a sudden, and then completely turn her back on me? What the hell is her problem?_ He wondered, not realizing that by the time he'd come back to reality, she'd already been in the process of going through the door.

"Wait." Beast Boy called out, but she didn't hear him as she phased away. "I never said . . . " He stopped, realizing that she couldn't hear him anymore and that it was no good. He didn't really need to apologize anyway, she'd only given him the information because she felt guilty he'd caught her in a lie.

Unless the information was all lies again to make him want to quit the Trials. Beast Boy looked down at the paper, scanning it as he started toward the door himself.

_The term hero so b-_

Beast Boy couldn't even start it, he wasn't a big fan of informational reading. Instead he just continued to walk down the stairs and toward the kitchen. Raven was in the kitchen, he could tell. He could smell her as he continued toward the main room.

Beast Boy entered the kitchen to find Raven sitting at the table, calmly drinking her signature mug of tea. She didn't look up as he entered, but he knew she knew of his presence. She tensed up when he stepped in: he could feel it.

His senses were edging up lately, he'd been able to sense more than he normally could, and feel more than he should. It was like when animals knew a storm was coming, only this storm was in his life, and this storm might end it.

"Rae." He started, walking toward her.

"Raven." She corrected. She didn't even turn around.

"Raven." He corrected, he'd play her little game.

"Yes Beast Boy?"

"I'm sorry."

"Well, you should be."

"And I am."

"Good."

"Okay,"

"Fine."

Silence. He stood there. He was behind her, and unable to figure out what his next move was. Raven was driving him crazy. She was wishy-washy, hot-cold, on-off and confusing. When he was around her he didn't know how to feel. He knew what he was supposed to feel like when it came to everyone else, but this one was different. This girl was different.

"Raven." He started again. She faked exasperation, but he could tell it was over exaggerated.

"What Beast Boy?"

"Do you think I can do it?" He already knew her answer. He already knew she'd say that it didn't matter because what was done was done, and the important thing was preparation. He knew she'd give a callous, logical response, but maybe that was what he needed.

"Yes." _He hadn't expected that. _

"Y-you do?" He was bewildered. Raven turned toward him to face him completely.

"Beast Boy, the more I get to know you, the more I realize there's a lot I don't know about you. However, I have learned that in times of need, you have intellect, courage, strength, honor and love on your side. Those are true qualities of a hero."

"Aww shucks Raven, you're going to make me blush." Beast Boy grinned, maybe he could do this.

"You're still not funny though." She added. Beast Boy walked over to the table and sat down across from her. She sipped and read, and he sat. The two were in complete silence for a few moments that seemed to last forever when he finally broke it.

"Whatcha readin'?" He asked, looking at her leather bound book. He glanced over the top of it.

"You wouldn't know it." She said, her eyebrows arching with surprise. Beast Boy sighed, she could've had some faith in him.

"Try me. Maybe I know more than you do." He teased, wiggling his eyebrows to counter her arch. Raven shook her head.

"I doubt that highly Beast Boy. It's a novel called Ouroboros. It's about a man who travels to a small country in Africa with a team of scientists, and slowly the team begins to eat away at itself while trying to counter a villainous creature with supernatural powers."

That sounded kind of good. He wouldn't read the book, but as soon as it turned into a movie he was there! Besides, he was from Africa . . . well, kind of from Africa anyway.

"Would you mind reading some of it to me?" He asked casually, as if a request from a teenager to have a book read aloud was normal. Once again Raven looked over the top of the book, eyebrows arched.

"I doubt you'd understand it. This chapter has someone from Africa speaking and I don't even understand all of the language." She replied quietly, as though ashamed of admitting she wasn't all-knowing. Beast Boy just looked at her; it was his thing. If he continued to give Raven this look she'd eventually give in and then anything he wanted wa- "Fine Beast Boy. Be quiet and listen. If you interrupt me, you leave."_ Yes! See, the look always worked!_

"Yes Ma'am!" Beast Boy chimed, saluting Raven.

She frowned. He stopped, scratching that incessant itch on the back of his neck.

"Okay, now, where was I? _Jared and Mallory stood outside Chief Watoda's house, their guide, Olude, was speaking with the doorman. _She read aloud and Beast Boy's ears perked, listening intently.

_"Dag Omante."_

_"Dag Olude. Utoto visu uman ominde?" Jared didn't understand what the two were saying, but the glances toward he and Mallory were unnerving. He didn't really Trust Olunde that much. _

_"Kisu macho jiso chisu." Olunde responded to the man. Jared tensed. Kisu meant weapon in their language. _

_"Watu mto-"_

"You pronounced it wrong." Beast Boy cut Raven off. _Shit!_ He regretted it instantly. She'd ask how he knew, and he'd have to tell her. Then again, maybe it was time to share some of his past, he knew more about all of the others than they knew about him.

"Beast Boy, how would you know if I pronounced it wrong, you don't speak Somali." He chuckled, for once in his life he knew more than Raven!

"You're right, but it's not Somali, its Swahili. _Mtu_ is what you were trying to say. "

"How would you know that?" She challenged, setting the book down on the table. Beast Boy grinned.

"I speak Swahili. I mean, it's been a little while, but I'm pretty sure I'm still fluent."

"How prêt ell, did you learn Swahili?" She doubted him. He didn't blame her.

"I grew up in Upper Lamumba, a country in Africa." He said. Raven's face didn't move; didn't portray surprise, but he knew she was. He sighed, he was about to tell her things he hadn't told anyone before. "I wasn't always green you know. I mean, I was normal before. I was bitten by a green monkey that was infected with a disease called Sakutia."

"That is where your powers originate from?" She asked. Beast Boy shook his head.

"No, actually the disease was killing me. My parents were bio-geneticists, and we were on an extended study in Africa. They tried a radical experiment to treat me. See, only animals could survive Sakutia, so my dad infused my DNA with that of many different animals. I was cured, but the side effect was that my skin and hair turned green."

Beast Boy breathed a little easier now, this wasn't as hard as he thought it was going to be. Raven was listening intently to him now, her eyes focused on him, so he continued his story.

"A little while after that fiasco, my mother and I were near a forest when she was attacked by a snake. Actually, come to think of it, I didn't know then, but it was a Black Mamba, the most poisonous snake in the world. "He scratched his chin a little, sniggering to himself. "Before I knew what was happening, I had turned into a Mongoose, which is a snake's worst enemy. I killed the snake and saved my mother. To be fair though, it freaked mom out a lot; especially since I didn't turn back right away."

"And why is that?"

"I couldn't, at least, I didn't know how to. See Raven, when I transform into animals, it's not just me in there. I become that animal in a lot of ways. My joints move differently, my sight changes. My hearing changes, and my urges change."

"Urges?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I become instinctual, and it's not easy to fight those instincts." He shrugged a little. Maybe he wasn't explaining this correctly.

"So you're saying it's like having two people in one body, you're not in control?" Raven asked, one eyebrow arching. He wished those damn eyebrows would stay in place!

"No, I mean like, okay let's say I transform into a dog, I am in completely control, but if I see a cat run by, I wanna chase it. It's an impulse. Or, let's say I become a hyena, I get a taste for meat, even though I don't eat meat. It's just certain urges that come up that are difficult to fight. "

Raven looked down for a moment; she seemed to be deep in thought. Beast Boy wasn't sure how she'd take this, he'd never shared this much with anyone before.

"Beast Boy, does it hurt?"

"What?"

"When you change?" Her voice was quiet and hesitant, this was unlike Raven completely. She seemed scared even.

"No one's ever asked me that before." He said, somewhat bitterly. Three or four years on a team of people and no one has ever asked you if transforming your body is painful. Maybe none of them were interested in it at all.

"Well, I'm asking now." Her voice was strong again, maybe he just imagined the momentary weakness. She reached behind her head and pulled her hood up, no longer meeting his gaze.

"Don't . . " Beast Boy reached out to her wrist with his gloved hand, "Leave it down, I like it better when you leave it down." There they sat, frozen in an awkward position, their eyes purposely not locking.

Beast Boy moved his hand gently up her wrist and interlocked his fingers with her own. Her grip tensed, and then loosened. Gently he pushed her hand and the hood back down. His hand slid back toward him, but then he hesitated. He'd always wanted to do it, so he reached out with one hand and ran it through a small strand of Raven's hair.

"There, now you look beautiful." The words left his mouth before he knew it. His lips widened and he smiled brightly; idiotically even.

"Y-Y-You really think I'm beautiful?" She asked. Beast Boy leaned in closer to her.

"The most-"Beast Boy started, but the door opened and made them both jump.

"Friends! It is time for the trials of fateful consequences!" Starfire entered the room. Beast Boy looked up at the alien and laughed a little. _Perfect timing Star, reall_y.

"See ya later Rae." Beast Boy stood up and walked toward the door, tension mounting upon tension with every step. He passed Star and got to the door before Raven's voice called out to him.

"You didn't answer my question."

Should he tell her the truth, or lie to her? He decided to go with the truth.

"It's agonizing." He went through the doors.

* * *

**Author's Note**- Sorry it took so long, this chapter was so hard to write, so I basically took it out. All this stuff was supposed to be one chapter away, but I couldn't write the earlier piece. It doesn't matter, I'll have a MUCH better chapter for you guys in two weeks okay, Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N- It's been a while. I wrote this chapter once, but it got deleted, and now every time I want to finish this story, I reread Chapter 5 and hate it. I don't know what I was doing, but I want to scrap it and completely rewrite it. Anyways, I guess this is now time for me to finish, because I want to start an Oneshot Anthology, anyways I have to thank someone for my return. That is Beast Boy's Swivel Chair. He is a great author, and if you get the chance, check out his stories.

Chapter 6- The First Trial

Raven opened the door to the roof with Starfire in tow; the boys were already there, along with Lucifer. He smirked as she entered the fray. She loathed him.

"I'm glad to see the two beautiful young ladies have come to join us. It is time my friends, for to-" Lucifer began, but Raven cut him off.

"You're not our friend. Don't fool yourself into thinking we trust you, like you, or wouldn't hurt you the first time you make us question your motives." Her voice steel and icy, she cut through the tension with her rhetoric.

Lucifer paused, smiled coyly and continued, "Ah, very well spoken my dear. Nevertheless it is time for our young hero here to prove his merit. The entry point should appear any momen- Ah here it is!" Lucifer was cut off once again however, this time it was by a swirling blue vortex that had appeared beside him.

"You want us to go into there?" Cyborg asked cautiously, eyeing the spiraling mass with hesitation. Lucifer reached into his suit's breast pocket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, raising them to his face.

"Yes." He said simply, placed the sunglasses upon his nose, and walked casually into thin air, disappearing through the vortex. Raven looked at Beast Boy, who was looking directly at her. Their eyes locked and he followed Lucifer without saying a word.

Robin gave a tense look at the rest of the team before muttering a warning to stay vigilant. He followed, along with Starfire, Cyborg, and finally Raven stepped toward the portal. This couldn't end well.

- - - - - -

Beast Boy landed on the ground with a thud. Sand clouded over him as his hands and knee pulled him up to an all fours position. He shook his head in a canine like manner before muttering about license plates and trucks.

The Changeling took a deep breath, inhaling stale air and dust, and began to cough.

"What is this place?" He wondered aloud, climbing to his feet. He was in the middle of an arena, a giant arena. The walls were dark and seemed like rotten stone. The structure was reminiscent of the Roman Coliseum; it had an arena floor with several arches as entry points. The ground was dirt and sand with mixtures of who knows what included. Above Beast Boy was the seating. The first row of seats started about ten feet above his head, but it climbed upward further than he could have imagined. He glanced around quickly, but he could not see the other Titans.

"BB! Hey B!" Cyborg's voice echoed through the arena with a vibration that seemed as if it could take the ancient dwelling down. Beast Boy spun around toward the epicenter of the cry, but saw no one.

"Hey, look up man!" Cyborg's voice called again. Beast Boy craned his neck upward, and upward, and even further to spot four small individuals setting together at the top of the arena.

"What are you guys doing up there?!" He called out.

"Ahem." Lucifer's voice called out behind him. Beast Boy turned from his friends back to the arena floor, which now harbored a platform he could've sworn wasn't there a moment ago.

The platform was a thin octagon with a pedestal in the middle, and on top of the pedestal was an orb, the same orb he'd grabbed to start all of this. It sat in the farthest corner of the arena, underneath two crossed swords and some writing in a foreign language.

Lucifer stepped off the pedestal, and gestured his hand toward it, "This, young Beast Boy, is the pedestal of the Hero Trials. Upon it sits the orb that holds the life essence of all life on Frogstar B. Its importance is dire, and for the rest of the tournament, it will act as your starting gun. Once you place your right hand on this orb, a trial will begin, and once all five trials are completed you by, and you alone, Earth will be saved, and Beast Boy, you will be a hero.

"Now, there are a few ground rules I need to spell out for you my young Changeling, the first is that there are five trials-"

Beast Boy was getting agitated, he knew this already, he wanted to get this over with, he wanted his friends down here with him, he wanted Raven to stop playing mind games, he wanted ? . . . He didn't know what he wanted anymore."

"Those five will be tests of Intellect, Courage, Strength, Honor, and Love. You shall complete all five trials alone, without any outside help. The arena floor is yours and yours alone. If any of your friends decide to step foot on it, they will be killed. I'm sorry to sound harsh, but it's not really my decision."

"What do you mean it's not your decision?"

"The arena is four thousand centuries old, protected by the ancient gods of Frogstar. The protectors of the arena require blood at the expense of breaking a law of the trials. It's non-negotiable. I hope this doesn't upset you too much Beast Boy."

"It wouldn't matter if it did, now let's get on with the first challenge."

Lucifer smirked, "I like your attitude kid." Lucifer turned and walked smoothly to the podium. He stood upon it and waved his hand, disappearing along with it, into the ground.

Beast Boy looked around, nobody had said anything, and there was no announcement, no ready and no set. He wasn't sure what was about to happen.

Then the ground started to rumble.

The ominous and ubiquitous light that had shone through the arena had vanished, and in one, mystical flash all the torches lit themselves in a fiery blaze.

Beast Boy tensed; turning in circles to see everything. It was coming, and he didn't know where it was coming from.

The walls began to shake along with the rumbling, and slowly they became synchronized. Rumble, shake, rumble shake. Pressure was being exerted every second or so.

Then the wall began to open up.

"What the heck!" Beast Boy said. The wall opposite of him began to rise. It was a trapdoor obviously, a very large trapdoor. As the shadow of the door diminished, a foot came into view.

It wasn't a normal foot; as a matter of fact this foot was anything but normal. Aside from each toe being about Beast Boy's size, it was made entirely of stone. The worn, stonewashed leg emerged from shadow and the entire figure fell into Beast Boy's view.

It had four paws, large and fierce, and sat on all fours. Its body was portrayed to be fur, though it was made of stone. It had a long flowing tail with a clump of fur on the back, but its head was the most bizarre. Its head was that of a beautiful woman.

It was a Sphinx.

Beast Boy stood frozen. He had seen almost every animal on Earth, whether in real life, or in his encyclopedias he'd studied with the Doom Patrol. He'd been most of the animals he'd seen, and he'd even been animals from other solar systems, but this was all new. This was not any animal. This was a creature that couldn't be summed up in one word.

"O-kay." He tried anyway.

The Sphinx stepped out from its stone doorway, her eyes on Beast Boy. Each step of her enormous stone feet shook the ground, and her slow calm demeanor was unnerving the changeling.

Beast Boy decided that he didn't have time to waste on defeating her. He transformed quickly into a tiger, leaping forward and dashing toward the Sphinx.

She stopped and watched as the green cat deftly shortened the distance between the two with haste. He darted back and forth, eating up the dirt as he progressed. With quickness he closed the gap, launching himself off the ground and diving at her head; claws outstretched.

She raised her paw and swatted him away with ease. Beast Boy flew into the arena wall, causing a rise of dust to spray over the area. Through the dust he darted once again, this time as a Pterodactyl. He soared at the Sphinx, his claws outstretched; his mind focused.

Beast Boy aimed for her eyes, swooped lower to gain speed and rising up again even faster. He was closing in when- SMACK.

She swatted him with the other paw. The Pterodactyl hit the wall and more dust littered the air. Beast Boy slid down the wall in human form, hitting the ground stiffly. He couldn't allow himself to be defeated to quickly and easily though! He stood up against, transforming himself into a bear and charging toward the Sphinx.

He got close to the Sphinx, his eyes narrowed and his mind focused. She took a deep breath, the stone of her chest expanding; good! She was nervous; he was going to take her down!

- - - - - -

Raven watched the green bear charge at the Sphinx; Beast Boy was trying hard. She couldn't help but think that maybe it was in vain however. She, and the others had projectiles, Beast Boy had himself. No matter how hard he rammed, he'd still be throwing himself against stone.

"I would not worry friend Raven," Starfire's hand landed upon her shoulder. "Beast Boy has shown true strength in previous battles, there is no reason that his attempts shall not prevail this occasion as well!"

Raven didn't answer; she just stayed focused on the battle below. Beast Boy was thrown by the Sphinx into a wall once again. The Sphinx hadn't moved the entire fight; she had just pummeled Beast Boy. It was as if she was toying with him for amusement.

"Man he's getting' his butt kicked!" Cyborg said to himself, loudly enough for all to hear. Raven turned and glared at her teammate, he immediately chuckled and scooted away in fear.

"What's he doing now?" Robin asked. Raven turned her attention back to the arena where a small green human was running toward the Sphinx! He didn't think he could fight her in his human form did he? What was he doing?

Suddenly Beast Boy stopped in front of the Sphinx; his body moved down . . . like he was bowing? Then he didn't move at all. Was he talking to it?

- - - - - -

"Umm . . . hey. What's up?" Beast Boy said to the Sphinx. He stood nervously in front of the gargantuan creature, addressing it as if it were Cyborg.

"Hmm, little green one," The Sphinx's voice reverberated through the arena, shaking everything around. Beast Boy steadied his legs to stay upright. "Speak to me you have decided to."

The Sphinx spoke in a twisted, backwards kind of way; it reminded Beast Boy of his favorite clash of the Planets character, Pado, the little green wise warrior.

"Yes, I speak to you." Beast Boy declared forcefully, his voice projecting more certainty than he truly felt. "You haven't attacked me, as a matter of fact you haven't even moved. Why?" He asked.

"My duty, is not your demise." The Sphinx answered cryptically. Beast Boy was confused.

"What is your duty?"

"I hold the question in which you must answer." The Sphinx replied.

Beast Boy was starting to understand. The Sphinx was not an enemy, but an obstacle!

"May I ask, what is the question?"

"Yes little green one, you may. The question is as such. What creature walks on four legs in the morning, two legs during the day, and three legs at night?"

"Huh?" Beast Boy muttered, scratching the back of his head again. That was confusing! He couldn't think of any animal that could do that, and he could turn into them all!

An animal that walked on different amounts of legs at different times, and even only three legs at some point in time. He could only think of two three legged animals to begin with, and one of those was after the car got through with it.

"Green one, patience I have not, answer!" The sphinx bellowed its command. Beast Boy jumped nervously,

"Umm . . . ", what could do all that, damnit! He was the only animal he knew that could do all that, this was impossible. "Umm, oh, I got it. It's me isn't it, I'm the answer right?"

Suddenly the Sphinx moved.

It leaned down quickly, its enormous eye a foot away from Beast Boy and scrutinizing his entirety.

"Green one", its voice shook Beast Boy where he stood, "tell me, what species are you? Are you human?"

"Uh . . . duh! I'm on Earth aren't I?" Beast Boy answered.

"Very well. You are correct human. You have passed." The Sphinx said.

Beast Boy looked around, his vision was blurring, and suddenly everything began to spin. It spun and spun and spun . . .

Then he landed on the floor of Titan's tower.


End file.
